Courtesy of Pixabay
The Arkansas High Razorbacks will be at home again this Friday for Round Two of the Arkansas Class 5A State Playoffs in football.
The Hogs are hosting Morrilton. Last Friday the Razorbacks edged Maumelle 24-21 in a game also played at Razorback Stadium.
Razorback Head Football Coach Barry Norton liked what he saw in his team. “The win over Maumelle was a great team win. We played very complimentary football with great situational awareness as a football team.”
As usual the defense was causing problems for the Maumelle offense throughout the night. It was Barry Norton ball at its best. “Defensively we played well as a team. We got 4 turnovers defensively and one in the kicking game. Defense is all about great effort and execution by all eleven players. We played really hard.”
But it was not just defense, it was a great overall effort according to Coach Norton. “We played great as a team. Situational football was outstanding last week. Each phase of the game complimented each other. Our special teams set up the win as much as anything that we did. We had three great kickoff returns, got our hands on 2 punts and kicked a 37 yard field goal, and did not allow a single return yard for their kick and punt returns. That set up our offense and defense all night long.”
Morrilton is the opponent this week and Coach Norton tells us what he knows about their team. “Morrilton is a very good team. They are led by their Quarterback, who is being recruited by Power 5 schools. He is the straw that stirs the drink. We have to be able to control him both running and passing. Defensively they are a pressure 3-4 defense. They will be a great challenge for us. We look forward to it.”
Norton knows the importance of getting to play yet another playoff game at home. “Playing at home is always a good thing. We need our fans, they provide great energy for our team.”
Coach Norton says his team needs to come up with a similar performance against Morrilton. “We will need to play complimentary football again this week to advance. This time of the year, a team needs to be playing their very best and I believe we are.”
If the Razorbacks play as well as they did last week, there is a very good chance that Barry’s team may very well be playing in the State semi-final next week.
Unfortunately, if that occurs it will be on the road. This will be the last home Razorback game of 2019. Be sure and get out and support the Hogs!!